  | Mysterious missing matzoh Author: Katz, Alan | |
| Price: $19.08 | ||
Summary:
It's the Passover Seder, and it's time for Grandpa Murray to break the matzoh and hide the afikomen for the kids to find. But Nathan, Simone, Andrew, and David can't find it in any of Grandpa's usual hiding places. The search is on, and the kids are ready to turn the house upside down to finish their Seder meal.
| Illustrator: | Auerbach, Adam |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (12/01/24)
School Library Journal (00/12/24)
Booklist (02/01/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 12/02/2024 Fully aware that "my grandchildren are all so smart," Grandpa Murray knows he has to work extra hard to stash the afikomen. Digitally colored pen and ink pictures by Auerbach show Grandpa wandering from room to room as he considers and discards a variety of hiding places: between the couch cushions, behind the flowerpot, under the air conditioner. When it’s time to look for the piece of matzoh, the grandchildren turn the house upside down but still come up short-and so does Grandpa, who just can’t remember where it is. "You see," Katz writes, "Grandpas forget things sometimes." In a gentle twist, a gesture from grandson David inadvertently reveals the afikomen’s location. With its wry, observational humor, it’s a friendly variation on a familiar Passover arc. Characters are portrayed with arrayed skin tones. Ages 4-8. (Feb.) - Copyright 2024
Booklist - 02/01/2025 “It started during the Cohens’ Seder,” when Grandpa Murray breaks the matzoh and announces, “It is now time for me to hide the afikomen.” His grandkids are eager and prepared for the hunt. After weighing a fair number of hiding spots, Grandpa Murray jauntily returns to the table to complete the Seder before sending Nathan, Simone, Andrew, and David off in search of their prize. The kids turn the house upside down, much to Grandma Norah’s frustration, “looking everywhere they could imagine.” Mirthful Grandpa Murray has hidden the matzoh “in a very clever spot,” and sweet David’s gentle demeanor is rewarded with the find. Expressive and detailed illustrations—created with pen, ink, and digital enhancements—project the cheer surrounding this family’s tradition, and the text conveys information without getting bogged down in being overly instructive about Passover. A note on hiding the afikomen explains the custom to unfamiliar readers. A gleeful addition to Jewish holiday collections and a good pairing with the picture-book puzzler Afikoman, Where’d You Go? (2024), by Rebecca Gardyn Levington, for a thematic storytime. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.
